This invention relates to novel nitriles, a process of producing them and their use to make novel halopyridines, pyridinols and methyl pyridines which are useful as pharmaceuticals, agricultural products and as intermediates.
The copper salt induced addition of ethyl trichloroacetate to olefins is taught by S. Naurai, N. Sonoda and S. Tsutsumi in the J. of Org. Chem., 29, 2104 (1964). The same authors describe the copper salt catalyst addition of trichloro- and dichloroacetonitriles to olefins in the J. of Org. Chem., 31, 3000-2, (1966).
The addition reaction of trichloroacetaldehyde with acrylonitrile to form 2,4,4-trichloro-4-formylbutyronitrile and its subsequent cyclization to give 2,3,5-trichloropyridine is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,245,098.